It’s actually much better in the original, Klingon, version.

Evan

Of course there are things people do in health care where they rightly can be thought of as consumers. For example, buying a generic drug instead of a name brand drug is smart and not encouraging people to make these kinds of consumer decisions is wasteful.

But for the things that really matter, the things that really affect people's lives, being a “consumer” is another of those things that doesn't make sense.

My brother's MRI might have been done at the lowest cost, highest efficiency provider, but the failure to see him as a whole patient almost killed him. Our system is set up to focus more on that economic transaction at the cost of real, meaningful medical insight. And that ends up costing more in human suffering and dollars.

But the title of this post, and his remarks, are emblematic of the great non sequitur that is the US health care system.

For you see, health care is NOT a consumer business. And it is. It depends on what health care you're in the business of buying. Or selling. The story of his brother's health care experience is riveting. And singular – or certainly unusual enough to qualify for the label. For the fact is that the health care most of us need, most of the time, is fairly routine stuff. The stuff of routine decisionmaking. The stuff of consumerism.

That should not be surprising, but it is because we use one term – “health care” – to describe such an immense expanse of human decisionmaking & activity. While we describe decisions about both the purchase of personal vehicles and international air travel as “transportation”, no one would insist that those decisions are really about the same sort of thing, or clamor for a “system” that made considering them the same sort of thing easier. It's not necessary. It's not rational.

I doubt it's Evan's intent to make you believe that it is necessary, or rational. I doubt the mission of Best Doctors is to play a role in most, or even many, of the health care decisions made by most people who need health care. Neither doubt is supported by the present article.

There aren't simple or near-term solutions to the underlying problems.

A big part of the answer is that we need a lot more doctors, and we need to pay them commensurate with the enormous value they bring.

But that's not happening any time soon. Meanwhile, people are going to get sick.

So, yes, everyone needs coverage, but this is the easy part. If you get sick you don't have time to wait for the system to change. You need to advocate for yourself, use whatever resources you can to make sure you have the best chance to make it through.

Thanks for reading!

Evan